Started my first 18L Kit about 2 weeks ago. (KenRidge Founders SuperTuscan) Had a few questions about it. First i have read a lot of people argue about to filter it or not. I have heard these kits drop a lot of sediment so thinking I am gonna add 1/4 tsp k-meta after the six weeks, and leave in the carboy for another 2 - 3 months. Will i need to filter if i leave it in carboy for that long? Is there any danger to aging it in bottles for a long time without filtering?) Will 1/4 tsp k-meta (on top of the k-meta that came with the kit) be enough to protect my wine. I would like to be able to to bottle it and age it for some time say 2 - 4 years....
To filter or to not, k-meta question.
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Why not age it in the carboy for a year and catch all of the sediment first. This way you won't have to filter it.
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I can t say for kits, but this is exactly why I age my wines for two years. The wine ends up clearer (but I still filter) and much softer..... well worth the wait
Dugger
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Welcome to a great forum, Brendon. This sounds like a really good kit and should age well.
Regarding filtering, this is a personal choice. I have filtered all my white wines and most of my reds. As long as you wait for all the sediment to fall out, you don't have to filter. One of the benefits of bulk aging is that you will know when it has stopped dropping sediment. I'm not sure if 3 months is long enough for this kit, but by monitoring it you may be able to determine that.
The only danger to aging it in the bottle without filtering is some sediment could occur which is not necessarily a bad thing - again a personal preference.
Regarding the extra sulfite, yes, the 1/4 tsp is all you need, unless you rack it off the sediment during bulk aging when you may need to do this again.
Make sure you use good corks.
Regarding filtering, this is a personal choice. I have filtered all my white wines and most of my reds. As long as you wait for all the sediment to fall out, you don't have to filter. One of the benefits of bulk aging is that you will know when it has stopped dropping sediment. I'm not sure if 3 months is long enough for this kit, but by monitoring it you may be able to determine that.
The only danger to aging it in the bottle without filtering is some sediment could occur which is not necessarily a bad thing - again a personal preference.
Regarding the extra sulfite, yes, the 1/4 tsp is all you need, unless you rack it off the sediment during bulk aging when you may need to do this again.
Make sure you use good corks.
Thanks for advice by the sounds of it should probably bulk age this kit for longer due to the sediment its gonna drop. How often should add k-meta say if i was bulk aging for 6 - 9 months? Just added the pack that comes with the kit.
Dugger
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IMO you don't have to add any extra if you simply stabilize, fine, rack off the sediment at 6 weeks and then let it sit for 6-9 months. It is generally recommended that you add 1/4 tsp every 3 months or so during bulk aging but,again, in my opinion, you only have to do this if you rack it off sediment during that bulk aging.
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